The latest publication of the Net-Metrix-Audit web statistics shows that the Bluewin website has the most unique clients (individual computers) with 3,881,000, followed by Search.ch (2,580,000), Directories.ch (1,949,000), Scout24 (1,621,000) and Blick Online (1,384,000). In terms of visits, Bluewin is also in the lead with just over 45 million visits. It is followed by Blick Online (11,182,309), Netlog (11,156,667), Search.ch (10,153,740) and 20minuten.ch (8,501,697). According to Net-Metrix, in addition to the global monthly usage data in the audit statistics for the websites shown, information on user loyalty can also be evaluated. The ratio of the number of visits per unique client in a month provides an indication of this. This ratio can be used to estimate user loyalty to a particular website, the report continues: the higher this ratio, the more frequently a website is revisited from the same computer in the course of a month. Netlog comes out on top here: The website achieved 13.5 visits per unique client, with a total dwell time of 324 minutes. The social network site therefore seems to captivate visitors.
The April publication of Net-Metrix-Audit includes usage data for a total of 178 websites. Starting this month, usage data for the website MyVideo.ch is shown for the first time.

 
In a competitive presentation, the Zurich advertising agency Matter & Gretener was able to secure the campaign budget for the new Radisson SAS Hotel Zurich Airport. The hotel, which will open this summer, is located directly next to the terminals of Zurich-Kloten Airport. The first advertising messages from the new agency should soon be heard, and Matter & Gretener also has three new additions to report. Art Director Karin Beerli, Consultant Simone Frei and Consultant Jochen Hennecke are joining the eight-person agency on Sophienstrasse with immediate effect.
They should all have plenty to do: According to a press release from the agency, Matter & Gretener will be announcing a number of other budget wins in the coming weeks.
 
Picture: New at Matter & Gretener (from left to right): Karin Beerli, Simone Frei and Jochen Hennecke.
 

 The SRG, a relaxed civil servant structure with a lifelong term of office. Once you have somehow become part of it, you stay part of it. And as the years go by, you are automatically flushed further and further up the career ladder - at least that is what many malicious and a number of soberly observant heads and tongues claim. From September 1, however, a closer look will be taken at Leutschenbach: As part of the harmonized cost-performance accounting system (HKLR), employees will in future have to indicate every fifteen minutes on a form what kind of work they are currently doing. There has been a great deal of resentment about this at SRG for weeks. There is talk of "bureaucratic madness", among other things. However, SRG spokesperson Daniel Steiner justified the system. He told the Sonntagszeitung newspaper that it ensures the comparability of the costs of program services. However, this can only work if the employees adhere to the instructions and record their time and performance truthfully and conscientiously. If the system is not accepted by the employees, all the magic is useless. It remains to be seen whether SRG's advisors have come up with something better in terms of structural reform than monitoring the work of journalists - which, unlike that of an agency or a law firm, is not to be precisely recorded for the client - on a minute-by-minute basis. Because this is simply nonsensical.

 
A cell phone at your ear, an iPod in your pocket, a laptop on your lap: life without electronics is unthinkable today. From Tuesday, a new magazine will help us to deal with and select our devices. That's when the new home electronics magazine from IDG Communications will be published. Digital Living is the name of the magazine, which will report four times a year on the latest and most exciting developments in the fields of home electronics, mobile communications, photography, video and games. The printed edition will consist of a product section with news and tests as well as four thematic sections with longer articles, while the website Digitalliving.ch will be launched at the same time. News, tests, downloads and market overviews will be published here on an ongoing basis, writes IDG in a press release on Monday. Twice a week, a newsletter will also provide information on the most important news relating to digital living.
IDG Communications is a subsidiary of the IDG International Data Group, a globally active media company for information and communication technology. IDG publishes over 300 magazines and 450 websites in 85 countries. In Switzerland, IDG publishes PCtipp and Computerworld, among others.

 
Susanne Brunner, a radio journalist from the canton of Glarus, has been awarded the 2008 Eastern Switzerland Radio and Television Prize, worth 10,000 Swiss francs, by SRG Ostschweiz. The award ceremony will take place after the summer vacation in the canton of Glarus, as the SRG announced on Friday. Born in 1964, Susanne Brunner stands for "a clever, quick-witted colleague with a great sense of humor and for journalistic work of a very high quality" at Radio DRS.

 
The winners of the Swiss Poster Awards 2007 have been announced. First place went to Theater Aeternam with the poster designed by Lucerne-based Erich Brechbühl (Mixer) for the play "The Arabian Night". The jury appointed by the APG praised the subject as both striking and profound. The work breaks with the romantic notion of Arabian nights that the title might conjure up. In the "Culture" category, the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich and the small Zurich advertising agency Bonbon were awarded gold. The poster for the exhibition entitled "This Side Up: This Side Up: Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design", graphic designers Diego Bontognali, Rahel Arnold and Valeria Bonin skillfully combined form and content, according to the jury.
In the "Commercial" category, the prize went to Advico Young & Rubicam's "Optical Zoom" poster for its client Leica, which has already won several awards: the jury judged that the poster made the product tangible for the viewer.
Two Suva posters from the Ruf Lanz agency won gold and bronze in the "Public Service" category. The jury commented on the gold motif for the wearing of bicycle helmets that it is a very rare quality to keep a concept fresh and exciting over the years
The Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett agency also received two awards: they won silver in the "Commercial" category with the 120 unique posters for Tages-Anzeiger and bronze with the women's suffrage motif for Annabelle. In the "Public Service" category, Euro RSCG was awarded silver for the Federal Office of Public Health. In the culture category, silver went to the Zurich agency Bringolf Irion Vögeli for the Fantoche Festival poster. Bronze went to Barbieri Bucher for a Helmhaus poster.
 
 
Picture 1
Client: Museum für Gestaltung; Agency: Bonbon - Valeria Bonin, Diego Bonotognali, Zurich; Text: Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design; Photo: Florian Böhm.image 2

Client: Theater Aeternam, Lucerne; Agency: Erich Brechbühl (Mixer), Lucerne; Design: Erich Brechbühl.
  
 
 

 The Bernese Foundation for Radio and Television has awarded television journalist Ernst Buchmüller the RGB Prize (SRG Bern Fribourg Valais Prize). He receives the prize of 5,000 Swiss francs for the documentary "Do you speak Swiss", as the foundation announced on Friday. With his cinematic record, he provided an insight into how the Swiss people speak, feel and think in the various language regions, while radio journalist Peter Maurer received a prize of CHF 3,000 for his report on the occupation of the Polish embassy in Bern in 1982 in the "Rendez-Vous" program on Radio DRS.
The Regionaljournal Bern Freiburg Wallis of Radio DRS is honored with a prize of the same amount for selected contributions from the summer series "2te Heimat". Priska Dellberg, Patrick Mülhauser and Herbert were honored for their portraits of personalities with a strong connection to the broadcasting region.
 
The radio play "Die Schattmattbauern" by Baschi Luginbühl was awarded the City of Bern Prize of CHF 5000. The foundation awarded CHF 4000 to the documentary film "Müetis Kapital" by Karoline Arm and Martina Rieder. 
 
The award ceremony will take place on May 22 in Bern.

 After managing the Max Shoes brand for a year, the Zurich agency Jung von Matt/Limmat has now been entrusted with the entire Vögele Shoes account. As the new international lead agency, the agency will present the Vögele Shoes brand with the disciplines of advertising, dialog, online and public relations in Switzerland as well as in Austria and Slovenia, according to a press release. The first work will be seen at the beginning of 2009.

 Isobar, which is part of Aegis Media's Digital Communication Unit, is increasing its staff. The 41-year-old Dominik Janko has joined the Digital Development & Production department. Janko is currently Head of Digital Development at Zed Digital. By expanding its range of services, Isobar aims to offer a high standard in the realization of online advertising media, websites/microsites and production in addition to its online media expertise.

 Rivella has once again commissioned Goldbach Media subsidiary Activemobile Media to realize an SMS competition. Consumers in French-speaking Switzerland will now find an individual lucky number on the Rivella bottle label at many highly frequented points of sale, as detailed in a press release. Consumers can find out whether an instant prize is hidden behind the number via SMS or the Internet. The prizes include festival passes and one-day tickets for the Paléo Festival in Nyon.

 The results of the New York One Show Festival are now known: With Ruf Lanz, a Swiss agency was also able to accept precious metal. The creatives were awarded bronze for their radio spot "Tribal sovereignty" for Sport Factory Outlet. The spot, featuring George W. Bush, advertises bicycle helmets and has already won gold at the New York and London Festivals. Three other Swiss agencies were awarded a Merit: Publicis, SFLB and AY&R. Publicis was honored for the spot campaign for the 3+ program "Supernanny", SFLB received the Merit for the Migros underwear campaign, and AY&R received two Merits: one for the Leica campaign and one for the NJP recording studio campaign.

 According to the Federal Administrative Court, the SRG is not entitled to a three-digit telephone short code for its weather service. The fact that the state weather service Meteo Schweiz may continue to use its 162 number for the time being is irrelevant, as reported by SDA on Friday.SRG had requested the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom) in 2006 to allocate it a short number in order to provide weather and forecast information on the fixed-line telephone network. Among other things, it claimed that Meteo Switzerland had a competitive advantage with the 162 number. However, Bakom rejected the application, which has now been confirmed by the Federal Administrative Court following an appeal by SRG. According to the ruling by the Bernese judges, short numbers can only be used for information that serves to protect public safety under the current legal provisions.
This is not the case with the general weather forecast. Meteo Switzerland would therefore also no longer receive a short number today. However, Meteo Switzerland is still expressly permitted to use the 162 number under transitional law. The number would only have to be given up if fewer than 500,000 calls were received annually. The transitional regulation is not objectionable under competition law and does not violate the principle of equal treatment. There was also no apparent infringement of SRG's economic freedom.